Arrangements described herein relate to mobile communications and, more particularly, to identifying tuning states for transmitting radio frequency (RF) energy.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has adopted limits for exposure to radio frequency (RF) energy. These limits are given in terms of a unit referred to as the specific absorption rate (SAR), which is a measure of the amount of RF energy absorbed by the body when using a mobile phone. In order to comply with FCC SAR limits under a variety of use conditions, mobile communication devices typically employ a reduction in transmit power when the communication devices are proximate to users' bodies. This reduction in transmit power oftentimes is referred to as “SAR cutback.”
Users sometimes unlock application processors on mobile communication devices in order to attain privileged control, sometimes referred to as “root access,” to the communication devices' operating system and/or secure software. With privileged control, the user can alter the operating system and/or secure software. When this occurs, mobile communication devices typically default to a state of maximum SAR cutback in order to ensure that the communication devices continue to comply with the FCC SAR limits, even if users have made changes to the operating systems and/or secure software.